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Best Cities For ...Which metro areas suit family life best? We looked at the 100 largest MSA's in the United States, ranking each in seven categories: median income, overall cost of living, housing affordability (what pct. of the market is affordable to a family at the median income), commuting delays, percentage of families owning homes, crime rate and education quality (mainly test scores). Overall, these ten take the prize. (iStock Photo)

Industrial downtown lifted by nearby neighborhoods like Marlborough, Shrewsbury and Boxborough. Easy access to Boston and Hartford, and the College of the Holy Cross overlooking the city from the hill. (iStock Photo)

Life is good for many families in the Pacific Northwest’s third largest city, with lower costs and less crime than the region’s two biggest metros, Seattle and Portland. And there’s the local powerhouse football team, the Boise State Broncos. (iStock Photo)